


The other side of the stars

by neonkuro



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Angst, F/F, I feel cruel, Oniric, Unrequited Love, but everything will be fine, dream - Freeform, squint for nahyo, you will understand what happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:27:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23171671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neonkuro/pseuds/neonkuro
Summary: Mina knows what it means when it comes to lose beloved ones. But in her dreams she will find the key to change everything.
Relationships: Chou Tzuyu/Son Chaeyoung, Hirai Momo/Kim Dahyun, Hirai Momo/Kim Dahyun/Minatozaki Sana, Hirai Momo/Minatozaki Sana, Kim Dahyun/Minatozaki Sana, Myoui Mina/Yoo Jeongyeon
Comments: 2
Kudos: 35





	The other side of the stars

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift I wrote months ago for my best friend @kuma_avenger <3 enjoy!

_Love is mostly an unexpected thing. It can be joy or damnation, eternal happiness or eternal ruin._

_Love is both the rose’s petals and its thorns._

_True love pushes the energy in your legs, the beating of your heart, the tears on your cheeks, and the promises from your mouth._

_You’ll look at who you love with stars in your eyes._

* * *

Mina woke up.

A blank sky was above her. There was no sun, no clouds.

She was barefoot on a brick sidewalk. There was no one around. Not even the blow of the wind.

“Where am I…?”

The air was completely static. She barely felt her breath come out of her mouth. There was a general sensation of heaviness in this place and the crippling loneliness could eat her alive.

Not knowing what to do, Mina started walking. Her surroundings looked like an unmoving, empty city. It was scary.

The more she walked the more the scenery remained the same. It looked like a cursed version of infinity.

"How did I end up here?”

She took out her phone from her pocket. No messages, no phone numbers, nothing.

She really was alone.

Mina kept walking. She didn’t know where she was. Was it a dream? It must have been a dream. She would wake up soon, right?

"I wonder… I never saw this place in real life.” Mina said, mostly to herself, as no one was listening.

She walked and walked, watching carefully as the road never changed, the little details staying the same, until something different caught her attention.

There was a poster hung on the closed blinds of a shop. Inspecting it closely, she saw there was an astronaut on it. Behind him, a grey planet. Totally grey.

In that version of space there were no stars. Just pitch black background, an astronaut, and a grey planet.

Mina decided to take that poster with her. It was the only thing she found, so she wanted to bring it along. Mina took it off the blinds, and kept it in her hand.

Suddenly, the ground beneath her began to crumble violently, making her lose balance and almost hurt herself.

"What’s happening?!?”

That fake reality was fading, while she was falling into nothing. There was no longer a road under her feet.

Mina closed her eyes shut.

* * *

Suddenly it was night time. A gentle breeze was now grazing her body, morbid grass caressing her cheek, tickling her nose. Much different from the fakeness of the previous scenery.

Mina opened her eyes again.

She was on a hill. A huge hill, with what she recognized as Seoul in front of her. The city lights reflected on the Han river, that was just below. This was a familiar place.

There were no stars in the sky. Just the moon, shining bright.

She sat up.

“Hey, you’re awake, Mina.”

A familiar voice startled her. Mina looked at her left.

“Nayeon…?”

“Yo.”

Nayeon was sat beside her, looking at the sky, her knees under her chin.

“I was waiting for you. You took your time, huh.” Nayeon laughed, feebly touching Mina’s shoulder. The latter hoped Nayeon wouldn’t retreat her hand. That contact was the most human thing she has felt in a while.

"Were you waiting for me…?”

"Yeah. Do you remember this place?”

Mina did. A long time ago, in that place, Nayeon and her had a really important conversation, on a topic that involved someone they both cherished to their hearts.

“I do…”

Now that she noticed, Nayeon was dressed the same at that time. And herself, too.

“This place… is where I walked out on you that time, years ago. Where I said I didn’t even want to look at your face anymore, where I said a lot of nasty things…”

Mina remembered. Those memories were sharper than a blade. She felt her stomach churn. Remembered very well.

“Nayeon, I… I…”

“But there was something I didn’t say to you that night.”

Nayeon hugged her tight. Mina felt her warmth, a warmth she missed so much. She hugged her back, tightly. How much she missed hugging Nayeon.

“That I’m so happy that she fell in love with someone that loves her as much as I do.”

Mina felt tears roll down her cheeks, crying onto Nayeon’s shoulder, while the older patted her head.

“I’m sorry, Mina. I was selfish back then, blinded by my love for her, that I ended up hurting the both of you. Hating you. I’m so sorry.”

Nayeon detached herself from her, smiling warmly.

“I’ll never forget the time we spent together, Mina. You’re dear to me. I hope to see you again and hug you tight, one day.”

“I hope too, Nayeon. I’m sorry. I really am.

Nayeon got up, taking her hand and prompting her to do the same.

"Now you have to go, Mina. Find Sana and Momo, they’re probably waiting for you too.”

“Sana and Momo…?”

The ground started crumbling again, making Mina lose her balance.

Falling again into nothing, pitch black void.

“Go, Mina."

"Wha… Nayeon! Nayeon!!” Mina yelled, while everything disappeared again.

Her eyelids shut.

* * *

Mina woke in the middle of a… restaurant?

She was standing barefoot again, right between tables, while waitresses fretted around her. The place was almost full, and the confusion caused by movements and loud chatter baffled her. She couldn’t move.

Until an hand took hers and brought her to a near table. Confused, she turned her head, only to see Sana looking at her curiously.

"Here you are, Mi-tan!” Sana cheered, hugging her tight. Mina looked below her, and saw Momo sitting to that same table, putting down the chopsticks with which was eating her meal.

"Minarin, it is so good to see you.” Momo said, getting up and joining the hug.

Mina was really confused, but that hug felt so nice. She hadn’t seen those two in a long, long time.

“I missed you… I missed you so much...” Mina said, tightening her grip around her friends. Sana’s hand patted her back, while Momo planted a kiss on her cheek.

“Mi-tan… it seems so unreal seeing you after so much time. Uh, wait, this probably is but let’s not think about it, ok? Let’s just enjoy it.” Sana muttered. “We don’t have much time, do we?”

“We don’t.” Momo replied. “Nights are shorter than you think. We have to be quick.”

"Ok. Let’s sit, Mi-tan.”

They all sat down.

"I remember this place. We used to hang out around here often when we were in high school, right?” Mina recalled, remembering the nice smells and atmosphere.

"Yep. They make the best jokbal here.” Momo stated, resuming to eat her lunch. “Open your mouth, Minarin.”

Mina obliged, and Momo put a piece of her lunch between her teeth. She chewed it and a delicious flavour filled her mouth. They really did make the best jokbal.

“Yeah… We used to do this, too.” She said, after swallowing the meat. Sana giggled, taking a napkin to clean her lips.

“I felt so bad when our group ended up torn in pieces.” Sana said suddenly, sadness in her voice. “We all parted in that brutal way, because of misunderstandings and bad feelings. But it wasn’t your fault, neither hers, or mine. Love is an unexpected thing, and it’s not a fault.”

Mina felt again the tears form in her eyes. How bad she had felt for her friends when all that mess happened. A lot of time ago.

"There was who took a side and who took the other. But none of us really hates you or her, Sana or Dahyun, Mina. I think you talked with Nayeon already, right?” Momo said. And Momo saying that was a huge, huge deal, considering her old feelings for Dahyun.

"Yeah, I did… and I’m so glad that none of you hates me. Really, so, so glad.”

Mina had her regrets. The biggest of them all, the inability of looking at her friends in the eyes after all that happened, the inability of clarifying, of making things right. She’s been a coward, and she didn’t know who to thank for the fact that her friends still loved her, in a way.

Sana and Momo both looked at her with loving eyes.

"So the both of you are fine with each other, now…?” Mina looked especially at Momo, who was one of the most hurt between them.

"It took me a lot of time, but eventually I came to understand… that I loved them both equally and they loved me the same and not just each other as I thought. Sana and Dahyun. So bizarre. I still didn’t meet them in real life again, though… today it’s the first time I’ve saw Sana after so long. And you. I regret having not given them time to explain…” Momo looked really regretful. Sana lovingly brushed her cheek, and Momo leaned into the touch.

“So it’s not too late, Mina. You can still make it up to…” Sana paused. They all knew who she was talking about. The most heartbroken among them all. “Well… to make things right. She deserves it, you know. But first, you have to find Jihyo and Tzuyu.”

“I see…” Mina got up from her seat. She planted a kiss on both Sana and Momo’s cheeks. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I’m going.”

“We’ll see each other again. Not just in dreams. It’s a promise.” Sana said, waving at her.

"Yeah.” Momo confirmed.

Everything began to crumble again, and Mina fell, deep, into the void, thinking of her best friends.

* * *

Flashes everywhere. The loud yelling of managers, assistants fretting around erratically. Mina landed right on the set of an important photoshoot. There was a model right there, under all the lights, wearing an elegant red dress and posing for the cameras.

“Uh. Maybe I shouldn’t be here.” She said, trying to walk away from the hustle, when someone yelled at her.

"Hey, you! Adjust those lights!”

Mina faltered, scared, and tried to say something, when an hand landed on her shoulder.

“She’s a friend of mine.” 

Jihyo.

The man snickered.

“She shouldn’t be here, people is working. Get her out!”

Jihyo took Mina in an empty room, while mumbling “That stupid ass. He’s as much of a nasty dumbass as I remember.”

She closed the door behind her and looked at the younger girl, as if she was staring at something never seen before.

“Mina. Oh my god… I knew you were coming. I found myself again in this photoshoot and Tzuyu is here, too… you remember this, right? You came to see us that time.”

“Jihyo, breathe. Calm down.”

Mina hugged her. Oh, how much she did miss Jihyo, too…

“Mina. It’s unbelievable. I thought I’d never see you again.”

"I thought that too… but somehow, in my dreams, we’re together again. I don’t know how this is even possible.”

Jihyo planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Wait here, I’ll bring Tzuyu. Don’t move.”

A few minutes later, Tzuyu and Mina were looking at each other. Mina wanted to say something, but…

Tzuyu sided with Chaeyoung when the secret relationships in their group came out. Chaeyoung, Nayeon and Momo were the ones deeply hurt by that discover, for obvious reasons. So Mina didn’t exactly know what Tzuyu really thought of her.

“Hi, Mina.” Tzuyu said, a sad smile on her face. “It’s been a long time.”

“A really long one, yes…” Mina said, reaching out a hand to take Tzuyu’s. The younger girl obliged, letting her.

“Listen… we have even less time than the others. So… let me apologize first.”

“For what, Tzuyu…? I know you love Chaeyoung deeply. It was inevitable for you to side with her, that time. She was hurt, and it was all my fault. so don’t apologize to me, please.”

Mina was starting to acquire consciousness and self control on her dreams. Her memories were vivid and she somehow came to know what had to be said.

"I still want to say sorry. I said horrible things about you, and you didn’t deserve them in the least… Chaeyoung’s tears made me lose my mind. I’m so sorry. I want you to know that I don’t hate you, really…”

"Extremely relieved, Mina hugged her too without hesitation, and the younger hold her tight.

“We all have faults…” Mina said. “We’re not perfect, and we’re even less when love is involved… I’m sorry, too.”

"I must confess something too… I can, already feel our time coming to an end, so I have to be quick.” Jihyo said, looking at Mina straight in the eyes. “At that time I was in love with Jeong too. What a mess, huh?” Jihyo made a little laugh, full of melancholy, but not hate whatsoever.

Mina was utterly shocked. She couldn’t believe her ears. Jihyo, too?

“But I couldn’t find in my heart the strength to despise you. You’re way too precious to me, Mina, and I treasure you with all my being. Please come find me when you’ll wake up.”

The time already ended and the ground was already disappearing for Mina.

"No… wait! I want to talk to you more! Jihyo!” Mina yelled. Not being able to talk with Jihyo anymore now was unbearable.

“Find Dahyun! She’s waiting!” Tzuyu said, while Mina lost again the grip on every little bit of reality.

* * *

Notes from a piano. Someone was playing, and Mina knew very well who.

She was in a completely white room, looking at Dahyun, who wore a black dress. She was playing a sad song, that Mina kind of recognized.

"You’re here.” Dahyun said, without turning, keeping playing. “Sit beside me and let’s play together, remember what I taught to you.” She said. Mina obliged, and they both started playing. They didn’t know if they played for minutes or hours. They just did, like the old times.

"Dreams are cruel. I don’t have much to say, but you have a plenty of time with me, while with Jihyo you had barely two minutes, if my feeling was right.”

“That’s weird...but do you really have nothing to say?”

“Other than that I’m as guilty as you are, nope. It’s a shame we didn’t see each other anymore. I want to meet you. And… and Momo…”

Dahyun’s fingers fell on the keys, causing a cascade of ungraceful notes. Mina saw tears falling from her eyes, and gently wiped them away with her fingers.

"I feel so bad. I didn’t get to say to her how much I loved her too. I was a coward.”

Mina breathed in. It was the same thing she thought about herself. That she was a coward.

“I’ve been a coward too, Dahyun. But Momo doesn’t think bad of you anymore.”

Dahyun looked at her, disbelief written on her face. “What are you saying, Mina… she despises me. And she despises Sana, too. We destroyed her heart. I will never forget the look in her eyes when she found out. Never.”

Mina stood up, looking around, and Dahyun was confused by her behaviour.

"Behind that door… Chaeyoung is in there, right?”

"Yes. But how do you know it?”

“Well… you all are in this but this is my dream, after all. I think I have a bit of control now. So I can do this, too.”

Mina closed her eyes. She focused on Momo’s image, and formed in her head the wish of her appearing now.

And Momo appeared, right there.

“What… Mina, you called me?”

Momo’s gaze fell on Dahyun and Dahyun’s one fell on her.

"You two, please, talk. I’m going.”

And Mina went forward, opening the door to her hardest trial.

* * *

An art study. More precisely, Chaeyoung’s own room.

Mina looked at the girl, who was smilingly drawing with oil pastels on paper. She smiled too. Her beloved cub. She still had the look from six years ago, like everyone else here. Mina wondered if Chaeyoung was still like this.

"Hey Mina, here you are!” Chaeyoung smiled wide, getting up and throwing herself into Mina’s arms. “Gosh, I missed you so much. So, so much.”

“I missed you too, Chaengie. Really… really a lot.” Mina felt the emotion rise up in her voice. It was so hard holding Chaeyoung without the guilty feelings making her cry. Her force of will was already faltering.

"Come, draw with me. Take out that paper you have in your pocket, that drawing is unfinished.”

The poster! She almost forgot about it. But did Chaeyoung say... _drawing ?_

She took it out. The plastic turned into normal paper, and the image of the astronaut with the grey planet was now pencil made.

“Yes. Something is missing. Here, take this.”

Chaeyoung holded out for her the pencil case. Mina took it and got on the floor, beside the cub.

While she looked for pencil colors inside it, Chaeyoung started talking.

“You know… I really love you, Mina. I really do.”

The older’s heart torn to pieces again. She already knew it. She took that burden with her for so long.

“I’ve been in hiding for years, you know?" Chaeyoung sighed, while resuming coloring her own drawing. "Living in my room, with my art. My mom was so worried about me. I couldn’t stop thinking of you. I was blinded, so blinded by pain. I thought I was the only one suffering. But I should have known, you were suffering too. And you didn’t deserve it. You and Jeongyeon did nothing wrong, Mina. Love is a beautiful thing. And I feel so lucky, so lucky for having had the occasion of falling in love with you.”

Holding the yellow pencil in her hand, Mina’s tears fell on the paper. She couldn’t stop, even if she tried. Chaeyoung was so precious to her heart. Hearing her words was destroying her, but love was like that. Petals, and thorns.

"Let’s finish it up. One star for your family and your adorable Ray. One for us nine. And one…”

Mina drawn them, one by one, until the last one…

“... for the girl you always looked at with stars in your eyes.”

The ground started shaking, almost making them fall on each other. Chaeyoung kept her steady. She took her face in both her hands and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"I will always love you no matter what, Mina. Now I have to let you go, and move on. Please, be safe, and let’s meet again!”

Chaeyoung disappeared, and so did her room. Mina was left shaking uncontrollably, crying her eyeballs out, yelling, letting out all her bottled up emotions at once.

* * *

Mina only stopped crying when she felt water soaking her to the calves. She looked around her. And what she saw was the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen.

She was right in the middle of a vast water lake, which reflected the trillions of stars of the night sky. It was like being surrounded by galaxies. A warmth suddenly filled her heart, because she knew who she was about to find.

“Mina!”

Turning around she saw Jeongyeon’s figure running towards her, and a huge, huge smile crept up her face.

She ran towards Jeongyeon too.

When they finally met they hold tight each other, muttering each other names repeatedly, and Jeongyeon even lifted Mina up to spin her lightly, much to the girl’s amusement. Their happiness was something the gods rarely have seen on Earth. It was rare for humans to love so deeply, and to find someone that loved them as much.

“Finally, I’m seeing you again after all this time… Mina! God, I’ve been so stupid… Such a coward…” Jeongyeon started rambling, when the younger girl placed her finger on her lips.

"Shut up. It was nobody’s fault. We regretted having hurt the people we love with this relationship. You’re the most loyal girl I’ve ever knew. Having hurt Nayeon was an unforgivable sin to you. But we don’t have to feel guilty anymore, they all said it to me, and I believe them. I trust their hearts. We’re free, Jeong. We’re free to love each other.”

With that, Jeongyeon lifted her up again, way too happy of having her beloved Mina in between her arms after years.

Staying away from each other for so long brought to them so much suffering. Mina came back to Japan when her and Jeongyeon decided to part ways, and they never ever contacted each other. It was a burden too heavy, that they shared with Sana and Dahyun. But now, they were free.

_Omnia vincit amor._

“Hey, Jeong… where are we? I know this is a dream but…”

Jeongyeon hummed, looking up. “I think that when we dream, we reach the other side of the stars… So… above the sky?”

"Wow...”

It was natural. Seeing such a place was only possible with the love of her life. She hugged Jeongyeon again and then looked at her.

“You have these stars reflected in your eyes too, Jeong.” Mina said, smiling wide.

"You too. I will always look at you with these same eyes. So that you remember that you’re my whole universe.”

It wasn’t long before Mina felt her cheeks wet again. This time, from happy tears.

"I love you. I love you so much Jeong, I love you… I love you…”

“I love you, Mina.”

Minutes, hours, maybe months passed, with them just looking at each other, with all the care in the world, with all their heart.

Love is a beautiful feeling, indeed.

But then…

“I really, really hate to say this, but…”

“W-what…?”

"You have to wake up, now… we all have too. You were wrong on something earlier. This is our dream. Us nine. Our chance to come back together.”

“No… please… I don’t want to get separated from you again! Never again Jeong… please…” Mina pleaded, shaking her head violently.

“You will find me, my love. And then we…”

Jeongyeon kissed Mina. She kissed her deeply, all her feelings conveyed in that simple yet wholesome gesture.

"You have to go, Mina… wake up…”

_Wake up._

* * *

Why did she have to come back to reality?

When Mina woke up, the first thing she felt was absolute panic.

“No! Why? Was it just a dream?!?” She yelled to no one. She jumped up. Reality was back. Her usual, stupid life, was back. Life without her friends. Life without Jeongyeon.

"No… no… no… it can’t be…”

She sobbed, clutching tight her pillow. The sole idea of it being just a product of her pained mind was unbearable. It felt so real, but what she could be sure of? All of this was pure cruelty. She damned the universe, the whole existence, for ripping apart the canvas of her personal starry night.

_Vrrr. Vrrr._

“What…?”

_Vrrr. Vrrr._

Here it was, the game changer. The name on the display was one to be expected.

_Jeongyeon_

Her hand flew to the device like an eagle with its prey. In the rush she dropped the phone many times and cursed loudly, until she finally managed to pick up, and the voice on the other end of the line made her definitively explode in tears.

_“Mina…?”_

“Jeong! Jeong! I’m here!” She yelled, her voice broken, her body shaking violently with sobs.

_"Thank God… thank God the dream was real…”_

"J-Jeong, I missed you, so so much, really, I…” Mina couldn’t breathe from how many things she tried to say with just a few seconds, tears completely blurring her view, damping her face and skin. Jeongyeon was there. She was there.

_"Mina, breathe, please breathe. I’m here. I’m here with you.”_

Jeongyeon started humming a tune and Mina recognized it right away. It was the melody she sang every time Mina couldn’t sleep back then, a lullaby made just for her.

Following her voice like a magic flute, her breathing slowed, her mind setting down to a more placid pace. The rush of thoughts decreased, her heartbeat found again its normal tempo.

_“Better?”_

"Yes… Jeong, I-I want to see you. I need to see you and everyone, please,

if that dream meant anything, I want everything we had to come back together, us nine...”

_“I… need to see you too.”_

* * *

In the following days, Mina received calls from the rest of the group. Jihyo basically cried during the whole conversation, Nayeon was about to but didn’t, Sana, Momo and Dahyun seemed the most cheerful, very different from the gloomy feelings they showed in that particular dream. They must have settled things for good. Tzuyu didn’t talk much, but her attitude seemed positive, so it was good. The only one who didn’t call was Chaeyoung, but she could understand very well why. Probably it was still hard for her. She just needed time.

A month later, Mina took a plane to South Korea. She would meet up there with Jeongyeon and possibly everyone else, like they often did years ago as a group, the best team the Earth could ever see.

* * *

Meeting Jeongyeon after so long was nothing short of another dream, but Mina felt sick of dreaming. This was reality and she had the intention to grasp her destiny and never let it go ever again.

Jeongyeon had long hair now, looked so adult, so gorgeous. Well, she had always been gorgeous after all, but she was just _more_ now. On the other hand Mina didn’t feel like she changed much.

She threw herself into Jeongyeon’s arms, like she always did back then, and the sound of laughter filled the airport entrance. Mina was home now.

* * *

A week later, the group had organized the first meeting after six long years.

They all looked so different but not really at the same time. Their round, childlike features now having let space for the womanly ones. But that was the only difference, because their heart was the same as back then. With maybe just one or two differences...

They all came. Chaeyoung was the last one to arrive. She greeted Mina with the sweetest smile, showing off her dimple. The girl somehow looked the most adult among them all. Not because of her features, but posture, attitude. She had become more elegant, but it didn’t seem like a total improvement. The years maybe took their toll on her. Mina’s heart clenched.

“Hey, Minarin.” Chaeyoung called, taking Mina’s hands in hers. “It’s been a while.”

“Chaengie.” Mina softened calling that nickname. “Yes, it’s been a while.”

“Let’s talk a bit, hm?”

"Yeah… we must.”

And they talked.

* * *

The group talked many times about that weird dream they all had, and how mysterious it had been. In that dream they all somehow knew what it was to be said, to be done. And no one could understand why or how they’ve been able to meet there. That was a secret none of them could ever unveil.

* * *

It was incredible how easy it had been for them to resume their old routine, with the difference that no one was hiding nothing now… well, not really. Nayeon and Jihyo seemed to have gotten a lot closer recently, Sana, Dahyun and Momo were beaming - and very much _together -,_ and… did Mina notice Chaeyoung and Tzuyu holding hands and desperately trying not to make it so evident? Yeah, she did. They totally sucked at it, though. But Mina was glad, really glad, that they all managed to fill their cracks with liquid gold.

About Jeongyeon and her, everything was fine. Never better, actually. The older girl still sung for her when she couldn’t sleep, and even when she was perfectly fine. Mina could never get tired of her voice, or of her for that matter.

One night she looked at the shiny ring she wore on her left hand, and wondered when and how they would tell the others.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading everyone <3 
> 
> Little trivia, many elements of this story are actually based on a real dream. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
